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Sustainable Documentation in Institutional Research: Practical Strategies for Busy Offices
When Institutional Knowledge Walks Out the DoorIn many institutional research offices, crucial knowledge lives primarily in the memories of individual staff. Institutional knowledge includes not only technical details&md...Read Moreabout: Sustainable Documentation in Institutional Research: Practical Strategies for Busy Offices -
AIR and Urban Institute Launch National Study on ACTS Implementation
The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) and the Urban Institute are partnering on a national study examining how colleges and universities are implementing the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (AC...Read Moreabout: AIR and Urban Institute Launch National Study on ACTS Implementation -
Board Corner
With our recent AIR elections just passed and the results certified by the Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC), I want to congratulate our newly elected Board and NEC members. AIR as an organization will benefit gr...Read Moreabout: Board Corner -
Get to Know Our Community: Osundwa F. Wanjera
My interest in institutional research emerged from a broader engagement with economics and public policy, particularly questions related to access, equity, and outcomes in education. I was initially drawn to understandin...Read Moreabout: Get to Know Our Community: Osundwa F. Wanjera -
Colleague News
Sam Michalowski Ph.D. is now Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Planning at Fairleigh Dickinson University following his service in the role on an interim basis.Celebrate achievements, prom...Read Moreabout: Colleague News -
A Moment of Transition for IPEDS: Honoring RTI’s Service, Looking Ahead
From LinkedIn Some in the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) community may not have seen that the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) contract was awarded to a new contractor—AEM C...Read Moreabout: A Moment of Transition for IPEDS: Honoring RTI’s Service, Looking Ahead -
U.S. Department of Education Releases Proposed STATS Accountability Rule
On April 17, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing a new federal framework for higher education program accountability. The proposal would establish the Stu...Read Moreabout: U.S. Department of Education Releases Proposed STATS Accountability Rule -
Federal Court Extends ACTS Deadlines for Additional Institutions to April 24
A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a new temporary restraining order (TRO) on April 13, 2026, further extending the ACTS reporting deadline to April 24, 2026, for a define...Read Moreabout: Federal Court Extends ACTS Deadlines for Additional Institutions to April 24 -
AIR Signs on to Letter Regarding Proposed Workforce Pell Regulations
The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) has joined a coalition of higher education organizations in submitting comments on the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed regulations for the new Workforce Pell...Read Moreabout: AIR Signs on to Letter Regarding Proposed Workforce Pell Regulations -
Federal Court Extends ACTS Deadline for Additional Institutions
On April 7, 2026, a federal court in Massachusetts issued a new temporary restraining order (TRO) affecting the timeline for the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) data collection.The order extends th...Read Moreabout: Federal Court Extends ACTS Deadline for Additional Institutions -
Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Affecting ACTS Reporting Deadlines
On April 4, 2026, a federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction affecting the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) reporting requirements for a subset of institutions. This ruling bui...Read Moreabout: Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Affecting ACTS Reporting Deadlines -
Federal Court Expands Temporary Restraining Order Affecting ACTS Deadlines
As of April 1, 2026, a federal judge in Massachusetts has expanded the temporary restraining order (TRO) affecting Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) reporting deadlines, based on a March 31 ruling.Th...Read Moreabout: Federal Court Expands Temporary Restraining Order Affecting ACTS Deadlines -
What’s Worth Measuring Now? Rethinking KPIs in a Changing Higher Education Landscape
IntroductionIn Institutional Research (IR), key performance indicators (KPIs) such as first‑year retention, graduation rates, time to degree, and credit hour production have long served as cornerstones of accountability,...Read Moreabout: What’s Worth Measuring Now? Rethinking KPIs in a Changing Higher Education Landscape -
AIR’s Christine Keller Joins National Effort to Reimagine Federal Higher Education Data System
The Institute for Higher Education Policy has launched a national initiative—NCES Next: Building a Stronger Federal Postsecondary Data System—to rethink how federal higher education data are collected, struct...Read Moreabout: AIR’s Christine Keller Joins National Effort to Reimagine Federal Higher Education Data System -
Get to Know Our Community: Stefano Fiorini
I work with a team of statisticians and data scientists to develop advanced analytics that support our institutional mission and progress toward Indiana University’s strategic plan. Our analytics range from the cla...Read Moreabout: Get to Know Our Community: Stefano Fiorini -
Federal Court Extends Temporary Pause for Some ACTS Reporting Requirements
On March 24, 2026, a federal court in Massachusetts held a hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction related to the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) data collection. The case, brought by a c...Read Moreabout: Federal Court Extends Temporary Pause for Some ACTS Reporting Requirements -
Federal Court Issues Temporary Restraining Order Affecting ACTS Reporting Timeline
AIR is monitoring a recent legal development that may affect the timeline associated with the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) reporting requirement.A federal judge in Massachusetts has issued a tem...Read Moreabout: Federal Court Issues Temporary Restraining Order Affecting ACTS Reporting Timeline -
ACTS Reporting Update: Conditional Extensions May Be Granted Through April 8
According to guidance confirmed with leadership at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), institutions that are unable to meet the March 18, 2026, deadline for submitting data to the Admissions and Consumer...Read Moreabout: ACTS Reporting Update: Conditional Extensions May Be Granted Through April 8 -
Institutional Research Community Joins National Higher Ed Coalition in Comments on ED’s RISE Proposal
On March 2, 2026, a broad coalition of higher education associations—including the Association for Institutional Research (AIR)—joined the American Council on Education (ACE) and more than 60 peer institution...Read Moreabout: Institutional Research Community Joins National Higher Ed Coalition in Comments on ED’s RISE Proposal -
Actionable Analytics the Ethical Way: Model Assessment Drives Transparency and Trust
How Rapidly Evolving AI-Powered Analytics Are Being Adopted to Support Student SuccessThe application of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to institutional student data offers pow...Read Moreabout: Actionable Analytics the Ethical Way: Model Assessment Drives Transparency and Trust -
Predictive Analytics for Beginners
Predictive analytics has received quite a bit of attention in the professional literature on Institutional Research in recent years. For example, the fall 2023 volume of the AIR Professional File was devoted to predictiv...Read Moreabout: Predictive Analytics for Beginners -
AI and the AIR Statement of Ethical Principles
The availability and ease of use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is certainly reshaping the context of work across multiple industries at a rapid pace. This has led some members to question as to whether...Read Moreabout: AI and the AIR Statement of Ethical Principles -
AIR Requests Extension of ACTS Reporting Deadline
On February 25, 2026, AIR sent a formal letter to Dr. Matthew Soldner, Acting Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Acting Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), requesti...Read Moreabout: AIR Requests Extension of ACTS Reporting Deadline -
Get to Know Our Community: Katherine (Katie) Gipalo
As a Student Success Analyst in IR at Florida State University, I support FSU’s mission and vision by conducting research on academic, co-curricular, and post-graduation outcomes of our students. I also serve both ...Read Moreabout: Get to Know Our Community: Katherine (Katie) Gipalo -
ACTS Update: Blank Values Now Permitted for Sex Variable
On February 17, 2026, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) issued an update to the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) collection affecting how institutions report the sex vari...Read Moreabout: ACTS Update: Blank Values Now Permitted for Sex Variable -
Board Corner
As we begin a new year, I want to thank you for the many ways you continue to support and strengthen our community. A new year offers a natural moment to reflect on where we have been—and to look ahead to the leade...Read Moreabout: Board Corner -
Negotiated Rulemaking Committee Reaches Consensus on New Program Accountability Framework
In January 2026, the U.S. Department of Education’s negotiated rulemaking committee on Accountability in Higher Education and Access Through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) reached consensus on a new federal f...Read Moreabout: Negotiated Rulemaking Committee Reaches Consensus on New Program Accountability Framework -
ACTS Data Templates Updated to Version 1.1
On January 26, 2026, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) updated ACTS data templates, moving from version 1.0 to version 1.1. The revised templates are now available at https://acts.rti.org/templates,&nbs...Read Moreabout: ACTS Data Templates Updated to Version 1.1 -
Get to Know Our Community: Shiloh Fling
My current title is Coordinator of Online Education Analytics. My primary role involves researching our online students, but I also help with automating and streamlining IPEDS, PDP, Common Data Set, and all the other typ...Read Moreabout: Get to Know Our Community: Shiloh Fling -
NACAS Seeks Pilot Institutions for New Benchmarking Survey for Auxiliary Services
The National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) has announced the launch of Auxiliary Performance & Experience (APEX), a new benchmarking survey designed to help institutions assess and compa...Read Moreabout: NACAS Seeks Pilot Institutions for New Benchmarking Survey for Auxiliary Services -
Higher Education Trends and Implications for Institutional Research Professionals
The year 2025 was a year of rapid changes. As we begin a new year, colleges and universities are confronting a convergence of pressures unlike any in recent history: declining enrollments driven by demographic change, es...Read Moreabout: Higher Education Trends and Implications for Institutional Research Professionals -
AIR Featured on Data Stakes Podcast
AIR Associate Deputy Director Leah Ewing Ross was recently featured as the inaugural guest on the Data Stakes: Giving Data a Voice podcast. In this first episode, Ross and host Deb...Read Moreabout: AIR Featured on Data Stakes Podcast -
AI at Work in Higher Education: What Practitioners Are Doing, What They’re Worried About, and What It Means for Institutional Readiness
Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t a future disruption in higher education, it’s already embedded in everyday work across roles, functions, and institutional types. Higher e...Read Moreabout: AI at Work in Higher Education: What Practitioners Are Doing, What They’re Worried About, and What It Means for Institutional Readiness -
AIR Announces the Creation of the Data Policy Advisory Panel, Appointed Members
The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) has established the AIR Data Policy Advisory Panel, designed to strengthen AIR’s ability to engage in—and help shape—higher educ...Read Moreabout: AIR Announces the Creation of the Data Policy Advisory Panel, Appointed Members -
Scaling Down, Powering Up: Essential Tools for the Small Institutional Research (IR) Shop
When I started overseeing the Office of Institutional Research, it was a one-person shop with support from Information Technology (IT) and the Registrar. The teams were steady but shared cross-campus priorities, so every...Read Moreabout: Scaling Down, Powering Up: Essential Tools for the Small Institutional Research (IR) Shop -
Feedback Loops in Action: Closing the Assessment Loop Beyond Compliance
In higher education, assessment is too often used as a mechanism for compliance rather than a catalyst for change (Miller & Felix, 2025). Data is gathered within institutions, analyzed and disseminated for accreditor...Read Moreabout: Feedback Loops in Action: Closing the Assessment Loop Beyond Compliance -
AIR Professional File Fall 2025 Volume Now Available
AIR is pleased to announce the release of the Fall 2025 issue of the AIR Professional File, AIR’s peer-reviewed publication supporting institutional research and analytics practice. This volume features two forward...Read Moreabout: AIR Professional File Fall 2025 Volume Now Available -
Board Corner: Strong Leadership, Timely Action
I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season as we wind down the semester. I want to begin this Board Corner by recognizing the amazing leadership we benefit from in AIR. In case you did not see it, our Executive Dir...Read Moreabout: Board Corner: Strong Leadership, Timely Action -
Get to Know Our Community: Emmaline Blikstad
My current role in institutional research focuses on cyclical internal reporting, ad-hoc research, state/federal reporting, and components of effectiveness. One of the mission pillars at Florida SouthWestern State Colleg...Read Moreabout: Get to Know Our Community: Emmaline Blikstad -
AIR Joins Postsecondary Data Collaborative Letter on ACTS to U.S. Department of Education
The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) has joined a coalition of 34 organizations in signing a formal letter submitted to the U.S. Department of Education regarding the proposed Admissions and Consumer Transpar...Read Moreabout: AIR Joins Postsecondary Data Collaborative Letter on ACTS to U.S. Department of Education
About eAIR
Since 1987, eAIR has been the trusted newsletter for institutional researchers and data-informed leaders. Each issue brings you the latest perspectives, news, and practical resources to help you succeed in a changing higher education landscape.